Beyond Rearmed's astounding visuals are faulty controls that hinder what could have been a solid game
I'll start off by saying the visuals in this updated remake are absolutely gorgeous. The fact that there is so much detail to the animations in spite of a limited moveset is very impressive for an arcade game. Everything just stands out from the distant background and looks so vibrant and lively. The only downside is the lighting seems a bit off at times. For instance, the lighting is so infrequent in some levels that some objects get lost in the background. Other than these rare occurrences, the visuals are top notch.
As for the game played, Bionic Commando Rearmed plays like a classic side scrolling game back on the NES, only this time the jump button has been removed. Instead, you get a metal arm that extends and latches onto other objects. You'll need this thing to traverse the whole terrain by swinging across pits or pulling enemies or objects towards you. It sounds like a cool mechanic and successfully swinging or pulling yourself up a wall can be quite satisfying. However, controlling the direction of the arm and actually USING it is the real problem. I don't know how it works in the NES game, but trying to aim the arm where you want can be a real frustrating chore. You can shoot it right, left, up, down or diagonally but the controls are so sloppy, they work against you and half the time doesn't shoot in the direction that you aim. Thus taking a cool concept on paper and executing it poorly.
The gunplay is challenging at least, but a part of this is also due to the faulty controls. You are restricted to only aiming left and right, which can also get tedious when you can't aim at an enemy above you. As for the enemies themselves, they add to the difficulty but only somewhat outside of cheap placement (doesn't help that you can't aim upwards. The problem is their movements are limited to hiding behind barrels, lobbing grenades or peeking out of cover to shoot. The challenge is there, yes, but it almost seems like the controls are your biggest enemy in the game.
Between main levels, you'll take control of an overhead view and the game turns into a top down shooter. Unfortunately, this part is pretty shallow and only serves as a tiresome distraction from the main game. For most of these levels, you can literally run past enemies and get to the end. There's also a block puzzle that is easy enough, but it pops up way too often and interrupts what is otherwise a solid pace.
One thing I have to give this game credit for though is the amount of content it offers for just $10. The strongest addition is the challenge mode, offering 56 of the most challenging levels that this game has. The challenges range from traversing the level and making it to the end or eliminating all enemies. In addition, there is also an offline multiplayer mode, which is actually more fun than the singleplayer. The only problem is the screen splits when one player goes too far ahead, but at the same time after getting used to it, it's better than splitting up the action. Lastly, there's a 4 player competitive mode which is chaotic and can be surprisingly fun, but limited options means the fun won't last.
Bionic Commando Rearmed is a promising game with a whole lot of content and gorgeous redesigned visuals, but thanks to the control issues and limitations, the game itself falls just a little short. Once again I have not played the original Bionic Commando on the NES so I sadly can't compare it but if Rearmed's gameplay and control was anything like it, then it could have used a few tweaks here and there. Still, it's not a bad game, and if you liked the original, you'll probably enjoy this one too. If you haven't, then proceed with caution.